Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, defiant that she made the right decision in charging three out-of-state protesters with terrorism during the 2012 NATO summit, sent one of her top prosecutors into court Friday to compare them anew to the Boston Marathon bombers.
So let me repeat as well: thank goodness for the 12 men and women of the jury who in February showed better judgment than Alvarez by understanding the difference and acquitting the men of the terrorism charges.
It should have come as no surprise, I suppose, that Alvarez would still be pushing the terrorism scare tactics at Friday’s sentencing hearing for Jared Chase, Brent Betterly and Brian Church — who the jury instead found guilty of arson charges for making four Molotov cocktails with the help and urging of undercover police.
Despite the jury verdict, the possibility of a stiff sentence from Criminal Courts Judge Thaddeus Wilson offered the prospect Alvarez could claim an endorsement of her original charging decision.
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